78% Favor Proof of Citizenship Before Being Allowed to VoteTuesday, March 25, 2014

A federal judge last week upheld the right of states to require proof of citizenship before allowing someone to register to vote. Voters continue to overwhelmingly support such a requirement.

A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 78% of Likely U.S. Voters believe everyone should be required to prove his or her citizenship before being allowed to register to vote. Thatís up from 71% a year ago. Just 19% oppose that requirement. (To see survey question wording, click here.)

Twenty-nine percent (29%) believe laws that require proof of citizenship before allowing voter registration discriminate against such voters. But more than twice as many (61%) say such laws do not discriminate, up three points from 58% who felt that way in March of last year. Ten percent (10%) are undecided.

Opponents of proof-of-citizenship laws claim they are intended to keep eligible voters from voting, while supporters say instead that they are intended to keep ineligible voters from casting votes. Thirty-four percent (34%) think it is more common that people are prevented from voting who should be allowed to vote. Half (50%) of voters disagree and think that more often people are allowed to vote who are not eligible to vote. Seventeen percent (17%) are not sure.

This marks a six-point increase from last year in the number of voters who think it is more common for people to be allowed to vote who are not eligible. Itís also the highest level of doubt about the voting process in surveys since January 2008.

The federal judgeís ruling last week upheld laws enacted in Arizona and Kansas because federal voter registration forms do not include a proof of citizenship requirement. Thirty-eight percent (38%) of voters believe state governments should set the requirements for voter registration, but 51% think that is a responsibility of the federal government. Eleven percent (11%) are not sure. This is unchanged from earlier surveying.

The survey of 1,000 Likely Voters was conducted on March 20-21, 2013 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 3 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology.

In surveys since June 2006, voters have been just as adamant in their support of laws that require voters to prove their identity at the polls before being allowed to vote. Fifty-nine percent (59%) do not believe photo ID laws discriminate against some voters.

Most voters across the partisan spectrum support laws that require proof of citizenship before being allowed to register to vote, although Democrats are less enthusiastic about those laws than Republicans and unaffiliated voters are. Seventy-seven percent (77%) of GOP voters and 67% of unaffiliateds believe such laws do not discriminate against some voters, but Democrats are evenly divided on that question.

But then 54% of voters in President Obamaís party think it is more common for legitimate voters to be denied the right to vote, while 74% of Republicans and 51% of unaffiliated voters think that itís more common for non-voters to vote.

Ninety-five percent (95%) of voters who think illegal voting is more common support proof-of-citizenship laws. Those who think it is more likely that eligible voters are denied their right to vote are evenly divided over such laws.

Sixty-nine percent (69%) of all voters say they have been following news reports about voter registration at least somewhat closely, with 34% who are following Very Closely. Voters 40 and over are much more interested in the topic than those who are younger.

Only 17% think it is too hard to vote in the United States. Twenty-seven percent (27%) think it's too easy to vote in America today.

Forty-one percent (41%) of all voters think American elections are fair to voters, well below the all-time high of 57% who felt that way in October 2012.

Americans strongly value being a citizen of the United States, but one-in-four thinks it's too easy these days for someone to become a citizen.

Additional information from this survey and a full demographic breakdown are available to Platinum Members only.

You're forgetting one crucial factor... citizenship is NOT a requirement to vote.

What? In the US, it is a Federal crime for any non-citizen(legal or illegal resident) to vote in Federal elections. It's called "Impersonating a US citizen", and it's a crime.

That means that even legal, permanent residents of the US are prohibited by law to vote. If they do and get caught, they forfeit their legal permanent residency, get arrested and processed for immediate deportation.

No, a driver's license is not proof of citizenship. Legal permanent residents, foreign students, foreign workers, etc. maybe allowed to get a drivers license, but they are definitely not allowed to vote.

You're forgetting one crucial factor... citizenship is NOT a requirement to vote.

What? In the US, it is a Federal crime for any non-citizen(legal or illegal resident) to vote in Federal elections. It's called "Impersonating a US citizen", and it's a crime.

That means that even legal, permanent residents of the US are prohibited by law to vote. If they do and get caught, they forfeit their legal permanent residency, get arrested and processed for immediate deportation.

No, a driver's license is not proof of citizenship. Legal permanent residents, foreign students, foreign workers, etc. maybe allowed to get a drivers license, but they are definitely not allowed to vote.

24KT, please substantiate your claim that "citizenship is NOT a requirement to vote"

What? In the US, it is a Federal crime for any non-citizen(legal or illegal resident) to vote in Federal elections. It's called "Impersonating a US citizen", and it's a crime.

That means that even legal, permanent residents of the US are prohibited by law to vote. If they do and get caught, they forfeit their legal permanent residency, get arrested and processed for immediate deportation.

No, a driver's license is not proof of citizenship. Legal permanent residents, foreign students, foreign workers, etc. maybe allowed to get a drivers license, but they are definitely not allowed to vote.

24KT, please substantiate your claim that "citizenship is NOT a requirement to vote"

What? In the US, it is a Federal crime for any non-citizen(legal or illegal resident) to vote in Federal elections. It's called "Impersonating a US citizen", and it's a crime.

That means that even legal, permanent residents of the US are prohibited by law to vote. If they do and get caught, they forfeit their legal permanent residency, get arrested and processed for immediate deportation.

No, a driver's license is not proof of citizenship. Legal permanent residents, foreign students, foreign workers, etc. maybe allowed to get a drivers license, but they are definitely not allowed to vote.

I was not stating that non-citizens (legal or illegal residents) have the right to vote in US Federal or State elections, however, since 1968 legal residents do have the right to vote at the local level.

What I stated was fact: Citizenship is NOT a requirement to vote.

I've never stated a driver's license constituted proof of citizenship.

A lot of states have made it a requirement even to vote in state elections.

The will of the people is moving towards citizenship being a requirement to vote in ALL TYPES OF ELECTIONS. That is very, very good.

Be careful of this thing you call "the will of the people".

It will be a collectivist mentality that will thwart individual rights & freedoms.It's not so noticeable when your will or desires line up with those of others, but the tyranny is laid bare should yours be of a "divergent' opinion. {pun fully intended}

I was not stating that non-citizens (legal or illegal residents) have the right to vote in US Federal or State elections, however, since 1968 legal residents do have the right to vote at the local level.

What I stated was fact: Citizenship is NOT a requirement to vote.

I've never stated a driver's license constituted proof of citizenship.

I was not stating that non-citizens (legal or illegal residents) have the right to vote in US Federal or State elections, however, since 1968 legal residents do have the right to vote at the local level.

What I stated was fact: Citizenship is NOT a requirement to vote.

I've never stated a driver's license constituted proof of citizenship.

I was not stating that non-citizens (legal or illegal residents) have the right to vote in US Federal or State elections, however, since 1968 legal residents do have the right to vote at the local level.

What I stated was fact: Citizenship is NOT a requirement to vote.

I've never stated a driver's license constituted proof of citizenship.

I was not stating that non-citizens (legal or illegal residents) have the right to vote in US Federal or State elections, however, since 1968 legal residents do have the right to vote at the local level.

What I stated was fact: Citizenship is NOT a requirement to vote.

I've never stated a driver's license constituted proof of citizenship.

United States[edit]Main article: Right of foreigners to vote in the United StatesMore than 20 states or territories, including colonies before the Declaration of Independence, admitted foreigners' right to vote for all elections. As of May 2010, however, most of those foreign voting and office holding rights have been repealed and, as of 2010, no foreigner was allowed vote at the national or state level in the US, and only a handful of local governments allowed foreigners to vote. These few foreign voting rights at the local level have been granted to non-citizens by state governments from 1968 onwards.

United States[edit]Main article: Right of foreigners to vote in the United StatesMore than 20 states or territories, including colonies before the Declaration of Independence, admitted foreigners' right to vote for all elections. As of May 2010, however, most of those foreign voting and office holding rights have been repealed and, as of 2010, no foreigner was allowed vote at the national or state level in the US, and only a handful of local governments allowed foreigners to vote. These few foreign voting rights at the local level have been granted to non-citizens by state governments from 1968 onwards.

That was my quote, and it is no back pedal. It is fact. Those pesky little things you refuse to acknowledge.

United States[edit]Main article: Right of foreigners to vote in the United StatesMore than 20 states or territories, including colonies before the Declaration of Independence, admitted foreigners' right to vote for all elections. As of May 2010, however, most of those foreign voting and office holding rights have been repealed and, as of 2010, no foreigner was allowed vote at the national or state level in the US, and only a handful of local governments allowed foreigners to vote. These few foreign voting rights at the local level have been granted to non-citizens by state governments from 1968 onwards.